Reaching New Heights

Double Dawgs Program

The Double Dawgs program offers more than 150 pathways for students to earn an undergraduate
and graduate degree within five years. Dual degrees earned through the program can
be within one department or discipline (e.g., Accounting BBA and Accounting MAcc)
or across departments, schools, and colleges (e.g., Electrical Engineering BSEE and
Business Administration MBA). By helping students develop advanced skills and knowledge
in just five years, the Double Dawgs program lowers the overall cost of education
while giving students a competitive advantage in the job market and in the workplace
after graduation.

Fostering Student Success

Measures of student success at the University of Georgia are at all-time highs. For
example, the four-year completion rate is now a record 68 percent, and 75 percent
of UGA students earn their degrees in four years plus one semester. The six-year completion
rate is a record 86 percent. These numbers put UGA within one point of the average
completion rates at our highly selective aspirational institutions and well above
the average rates at peer and SEC institutions.

Record-setting First-year Class

For the sixth consecutive year, the University of Georgia welcomed the most academically
talented class in the institution’s history. The approximately 5,750 first-year students
in the Class of 2022 have an average weighted high school GPA of 4.04, an average
ACT score of 30, and an average SAT score of 1365.

Experiential Learning

The University of Georgia is the largest public university in the nation to ensure
that all undergraduate students engage in experiential learning prior to graduation.
Through internships, research, study abroad, service-learning, and other opportunities,
UGA students apply content from their coursework to pressing issues outside of the
classroom, connect with faculty and professional mentors, enhance their problem solving
and critical thinking skills, and prepare for graduate school and career opportunities.

Global Education

University of Georgia students have opportunities to complete courses, internships,
and service projects in countries around the globe. More than 2,000 UGA students study
abroad each year, making the institution a national leader. The Institute for International
Education’s Open Doors report ranked UGA No. 13 for the number of students earning
academic credit abroad. UGA also is home to Language Flagship programs in Portuguese
and Russian.

Investing in the Student Experience

The University recently completed a presidential hiring initiative known as Investing
in the Student Experience to help us enhance the learning environment and meet the
needs of students in emerging areas of high demand. Targeted hires of tenure-track
faculty, lecturers, and advisors are helping to provide active and engaged instruction
and mentoring to students in growing fields such as computer science, engineering,
finance, and statistics.

Career Outcomes for UGA Students

University of Georgia students are finding professional success after graduation.
Of the students who graduated in the Class of 2018, 96 percent were employed or continuing
their education within six months of graduation. UGA’s career outcomes rate is 11
percent higher than the national average. Unparalleled educational opportunities,
outstanding mentoring from faculty, and expert help from the UGA Career Center are
among the many reasons for our students’ success.

Economic Impact

UGA’s teaching, research, and service activities generate $6.3 billion in economic
impact across Georgia each year. In the past five years, UGA’s 17 Small Business Development
Center offices across the state helped create 1,763 new small businesses supporting
13,126 new jobs in Georgia. In addition, discoveries by UGA scientists have resulted
in more than 725 new products in the marketplace to date, including crop varieties,
vaccines, and software. UGA now ranks no. 1 in the nation for bringing research-based
products to market.

Interdisciplinary STEM Research Facility

The University of Georgia is constructing a new interdisciplinary science, technology,
engineering, and math (I-STEM) research facility that will promote creative, interdisciplinary
approaches to research, leading to new products and services that improve lives in
Georgia and beyond. The first phase is a 100,000-square-foot building with four stories
of laboratory and support space for chemistry and engineering. A second phase is now
in the planning and design stage. The I-STEM research facility represents the future
of research and education in the STEM fields at UGA.

Georgia Commitment Scholarship Program

Part of the Commit to Georgia campaign, the Georgia Commitment Scholarship Program
was launched in 2017 to create endowed, need-based scholarships for UGA students from
low-income backgrounds. Alumni and friends have responded with great enthusiasm, establishing
more than 400 Georgia Commitment Scholarships to date, helping to remove financial
barriers and create pathways to futures that would otherwise be unreachable.

Business Learning Community

The University of Georgia’s Business Learning Community continues to grow, providing
state-of-the-art facilities to prepare the next generation of business leaders. The
first two phases, including Correll Hall, Amos Hall, Benson Hall, and Moore-Rooker
Hall, are now open. The final phase, which will include Sanford and Barbara Orkin
Hall and M. Douglas Ivester Hall, will be ready for classes in fall 2019.

CyberArch Program

The University of Georgia is extending its cybersecurity expertise across the state
to help businesses and communities safeguard against potentially devastating cyberattacks.
The CyberArch program, which builds on existing Public Service and Outreach programs
related to cybersecurity, is being piloted in two of Georgia’s communities—Hart County
and Griffin/Spalding County. With a nationally recognized faculty and an extensive
statewide network, UGA is uniquely positioned to help individuals, businesses, and
local governments identify ways to protect their critical data and infrastructure.

Community Partnerships

The University of Georgia has partnered with the Clarke County School District to
launch Georgia Possible, a new three-year pilot program focused on leadership development
and college readiness for CCSD high school students. The program was inspired by a
series of meetings held with Athens-Clarke County community members and is being spearheaded
by a team of faculty from CCSD, UGA’s J.W. Fanning Institute for Leadership Development,
and the Office of the President.

Thanks to UGA Faculty and Staff

Thanks to the hard work of faculty and staff, the achievements of the University of Georgia over the past academic year have been truly remarkable. I wish all of our faculty and staff a productive summer as we continue our efforts to expand the impact of this great university throughout the state of Georgia, across the nation, and around the world. With outstanding faculty, staff, and students leading the way, no achievement is beyond our reach.